The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams

4*

Romance books sell more than any other genre, yet they’re often seen as guilty pleasures or dirty little secrets. As Del says in this book, “...toxic masculinity permeates even the most mundane things in life. If masses of women like something, our society automatically begins to mock them. Just like romance novels. If women like them, they must be a joke, right?” Yet, it’s these same books that this group of high-powered men use as self-help manuals to learn how women think, how toxic masculinity can destroy relationships, and how to shed it to win back their wives and girlfriends. The premise of a romance book club for men is laudable for its unique approach although it’s never explained how the group formed, they don’t hold regular meetings, and only half of the members appear throughout the book. Inexplicably, one of them is Braden Mack, a single flirt whose sole purpose seems to be to throw snarky and annoying roadblocks in Gavin’s path. Aside from the club, however, the story follows a standard romantic trope of a couple (Gavin and his wife Thea) who aren’t honest with each other and who will destroy their marriage if they don’t revisit their past (“backstory”) to acknowledge the baggage that stands in their way. It’s a fun and often frustrating read, and romance readers will enjoy the spin.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Berkley Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Maybe This Time by Jane Mansell

5*

On her first visit to her father and Marcus’s new home in the Cotswolds, Mimi meets Cal when she thinks he’s attacking a sheep. In the ensuing few months, she fantasizes about him, so is disappointed to find that he’s married and a father. Thus begins a tumultuous four years, full of tragedy, heartbreak, bad relationships, and missed opportunities. Will the time ever be right for these two to admit how they feel about each other or will fate conspire to keep them apart?

Once again, Mansell has woven a story with a range of human emotions, seemingly star-crossed lovers, quirky and charming secondary characters, and an idyllic English village that begs the readers to move right in. This is one of her best books yet and both her fans and others who enjoy Sophie Kinsella and Jenny Colgan will want to read this one pronto. If you haven’t had the pleasure of a Mansell book, start with this. Highly recommended!


I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Sourcebooks Landmark through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

The Lemon Sisters by Jill Shalvis

2*

This is the story of two sisters who couldn’t be more different: Brooke, the adventurous younger sister who left Wildstone seven years before and has rarely been back and Mindy, the perfect sister who married her high school sweetheart, stayed in her hometown, and is raising 3 beautiful children. It’s clear from the start that these somewhat estranged siblings have no clue about each other’s current life and lob accusations at each other rather than trying to mend their broken relationship.

The problems with this book are myriad, starting with the fact that neither sister is particularly likeable. Brooke is pretty much an ice queen who has deeply buried her past hurts and, with no explanation, has alienated both her family and Garrett, the man who is supposedly the love of her life. Given that they never had a true relationship, the entire second-chance romance premise is implausible, especially given her near-constant self-flagellation and Garrett’s nasty, albeit somewhat justified, behavior towards her. Mindy is a control freak who, despite no evidence to support it, believes her sweet but clueless husband Lincoln is cheating on her. There is quite a bit of fat-shaming with her character which has no place in contemporary fiction. The children are precocious and provide much-needed comic relief, but they are almost feral. The oldest child has OCD like her aunt Brooke, but Mindy never recognized the symptoms in Brooke and downplays her daughter’s. This is surprising given that Linc is a doctor.

Although this is the 3rd book in the series, there is really no connection other than location and a brief, but funny scene at the winery from Book 2, so it can be read as a standalone. The first two were interesting reads with engaging characters, but this one falls flat. Shalvis is wonderful at writing funny, charming, and sexy serial romances (Animal Magnetism, Heartbreaker Bay) with only a couple of new characters introduced in each subsequent book. Unfortunately, she struggles when writing longer “women’s fiction.” She doesn’t use the added pages to develop her characters and the stories tend to drag. Not recommended.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from HarperCollins Publishers through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Stone Bridges by Carla Neggers

3*

Free-spirit Adrienne Portale has returned to Knights Bridge as an innkeeper after a rough visit the winter before when, under false pretenses, she took a house-sitting job with the biological father she had just learned about. She’s never stayed in one place for more than 6 months, and doesn’t see that pattern changing, but she’s committed to learning on-the-job and spending time with her father Vic, a retired diplomat. Soon after she arrives, she is surprised to see handsome stonemason Adam Sloan, the quiet brother in a large family with deep roots in the town. Despite a growing attraction that started the winter before, she is hesitant to start a relationship that will end badly if and when she leaves and that will take up time she could be spending with her father. Will the friendships she makes and the possibility of a lasting relationship with Adam be the key to her finding a home at last?

Although this story could be considered a standalone, it is heavily-populated with characters from the eight previous books in the series, so much so that the story opens with Vic providing Adrienne with a cheat sheet to keep everyone straight. What might have been a better choice was to provide a family tree since almost all relationships feature the Sloans or O’Dunns. The story got bogged down by the ongoing explanations of who’s who, the mundane details of everyday life (down to what people were wearing), and the slow pacing of the relationship between Adam and Adrienne. (Their first kiss doesn’t even happen until after the halfway mark.) There was very little action to break up the monotony other than a short, uneventful search for some missing boys early in the book. So the decision they make at the end of the book makes very little sense given the time frame. After all the stalling, what’s the rush? Fans of the series will enjoy this installment, but most romance readers will be frustrated and bored.


I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Mira through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Playing House by Ruby Lang

3*

Playing House, the first book in the Uptown series by Ruby Lang, is a short novella featuring two urban planners in New York City. In just about 100 pages, there isn’t much time to develop a complete love story, but it’s a fun read nonetheless. Fay and Oliver, who have been casual acquaintances for years, run into each other at an open house. Fay is being harassed by a stranger, so she latches into Oliver when he walks in and they’re mistaken as a couple by the realtor. They continue this ruse as they attend more open houses together, all the while starting to develop romantic feelings for each other. After divorcing a year before, Fay is just getting back into dating while Oliver is struggling with his feelings of inadequacy since losing his job and having to move in with his successful younger brother. He’s working freelance and is waiting to hear if he’ll get an interview with Fay’s small firm. However, he fails to mention it to her because he fears she’ll think he’s only using her to get a job. She has trust issues, so it’s not a big surprise what happens next. There isn’t much character development given the brevity of the story, but it’s a cute and sexy read for what it is. Hopefully we’ll get more of their story in Book 2.


I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Carina Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Once Upon a Bad Boy by Melonie Johnson

3*

Once Upon a Bad Boy (Sometimes in Love #3) is Sadie’s story. After years struggling to be taken seriously as an actress, with critics chalking up her Emmy-winning role on a soap opera to her rich family’s influence rather than her talent, she’s finally won the part of a lifetime as the gutsy heroine in a major action flick. So, the last thing she needs is a major distraction in the form of her teenage love, Bo Ibarra. Unfortunately, he’s the stunt coordinator for the film and there’s no escaping him. On the night of their senior prom, he ended their relationship without explanation, telling her he didn’t want to see her again. For ten years, she mentally boxed up her pain and avoided following news of him. Now it’ll take all of her self-control to fight the attraction that is still there and avoid exposing the secret from her past. This second-chance romance wasn’t as well-written as the first two books in the series. The chemistry wasn’t as strong and Sadie, who is supposedly a tough, self-confident woman, is way too forgiving of Bo, first for the way he ended their teen relationship and then for his reaction when her secret is revealed. Compared with Logan in Book 1 and Theo in Book 2, Bo is lacking in charm and genuine passion for his love interest. It’s still a great series to follow, but here’s hoping the next book recaptures the magic of the first two.


I received a complimentary ARC of this book from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center

5*

Possible spoilers:

Cassie Hanwell is a stellar, tough-as-nails firefighter and paramedic with the progressive and modern Austin Fire Dept. After a moment of passionate, righteous anger, she puts her job in jeopardy when she refuses to apologize. When her estranged mother asks Cassie to move east to help her after she loses sight in one eye, she agrees because taking a job in a chauvinistic, old-school Massachusetts firehouse is her only hope of salvaging her career. She is counseled by her female fire chief in Texas to be better than the men, to not show emotion, and to not date a fellow firefighter if she hopes to be accepted as one of the guys. This won’t be a problem because she doesn’t believe in love and her job is her life. However, her resolve is tested when she begins to fall for the sweet, kind-hearted rookie, Owen Callaghan, who faints at the sight of blood and bakes cookies in his free time.

On her 16th birthday, Cassie’s mother moved away and she was raped by the boy she had a crush on. In the decade since, she has walled herself off from emotion and focused on routine, order, and safety. She has survived, but the price has been loneliness. As she begrudgingly spends more time with her mother whose health continues to decline and acknowledges that she feels safe with Owen, she begins to realize how much she has lost by pushing away the people she loves. Ultimately, this is a book about forgiveness, feminism, and toxic masculinity, and how destructive and lonely it is to hang onto anger. This is one woman’s journey to rediscover love after devastating loss and betrayal. It speaks to how talented author Center is that she has managed to infuse humor and a sweet romance into a story that could easily have been darkly dramatic. Highly recommended for fans of Susan Wiggs and Kristan Higgins.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Smitten by the Brit by Melonie Johnson

4*

Smitten by the Brit, the 2nd book in Johnson’s Sometimes in Love series, is the much-anticipated love story between Theo Wharton, Duke of Emberton, and Bonnie Blythe who readers met in Getting Hot with the Scot. As friends of the first book’s protagonists Logan and Cassie, they first meet on a river cruise in London. It’s obvious from the start that there’s an attraction, but Bonnie is engaged to her long-time boyfriend Gabe back home in Chicago. As this book opens, Bonnie discovers Gabe in bed with his advisor’s assistant, so she impulsively accepts a summer professorship at Cambridge where she inevitably runs into Theo, unaware that he’s a Duke. Between her trust issues and his bitchy mother who continually reminds him of his obligation to marry for money to keep their ancestral estate and family from financial ruin, the path to love is anything but smooth. Will Theo’s sense of obligation be stronger than his love for Bonnie? Johnson’s sophomore effort is just as delightful as her debut with the same cast of characters along with Theo’s family. In addition, there’s the beauty of Scotland and England, steamy sex scenes, and enough misunderstandings to keep readers guessing whether this star-crossed couple will be able to have their happily-ever-after. This one will appeal to romance readers who love a bit of aristocracy in the mix.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from St. Martin’s Paperbacks through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Sunshine Over Bluebell Castle by Sarah Bennett

4*

In the second book of the Bennett’s Bluebell Castle series about a set of triplets who are struggling to restore the family’s ancestral castle and open parts of it to the paying public, we get Igraine’s (Iggy’s) story. Her passion is landscaping, so she has taken on the overwhelming task of recreating the gardens using the original plans. With money and time in short supply, especially with opening day only four months away, Iggy is going to need help and she knows just the man for the job: award-winning celebrity gardener and bad boy, Will Talbot. However, when she calls to ask him if he’ll take the job, she catches him at an inopportune time and he rudely turns her down. So when he turns up a few days later (running from a sticky situation and intrigued by the photos she’s sent him), she rudely wants to kick him out the door. Will she be able to put her animosity aside long enough for him to work his magic on the gardens and perhaps on her as well?

There are so many wonderful aspects to recommend this story: the relationship between the triplets, Tristan’s optimism (can’t wait for his story in book 3), the slow-burning, sexy (but not steamy) relationship between Iggy and Will, their vision for the gardens and how they work together to bring it to life, the story behind Will’s decision to become a gardener which got him off a path of destruction, and even the intriguing visit by their bitchy absentee mother, Helena. On the flip side, there’s prickly Iggy’s mistrust of Will (twice judging him guilty without giving him a chance to explain) and the vicious attacks from Helena who proves, once again, that there isn’t a maternal bone in her body…or any goodness. No matter how Bennett makes readers feel about her characters, there’s no doubt that her writing elicits strong feelings. Definitely recommend this series to readers who like sweet romances with a bit of sexy.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from HQ Digital through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Dine with Me by Layla Reyne

5*

Beautiful gay romance between a cancer-stricken top chef who would rather die than lose his tastebuds and a young doctor who answers the ad to accompany him on a 2-week foodie extravaganza. Just when he thinks his life is over following a throat cancer diagnosis, Miller meets Clancy, a young doctor about to join his father’s plastic surgery practice in LA. The tasting trip is his parents’ congratulatory gift to him, but the true gift is the love that blooms in the face of impending tragedy. Will Clancy, whose passion is actually oncology, be able to convince Miller that it’s worth taking the chance to live and that his value as a compassionate friend and family member is just as important as his ability to create art through his cooking?

This book is a gift to foodies with its lavish descriptions of the meals they enjoy on their journey and proof that love, in all its glorious variety, can blossom when you least expect it. Strong cast of supporting characters including Sloan, Miller’s best friend and ex-wife, his other best friend and renowned chef, Greg, and Clancy’s parents. Sexy scenes, but not overly graphic, this is a highly recommended purchase for public and college libraries.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Carina Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.